politic

The Debate Surrounding The 12% Value Added Tax Has Intensified, With A Gerindra Legislator Accusing The PDIP Of Engaging In A Political Discourse Characterized By Hypocrisy

Sugianto Santoso, a member of the Gerindra Party faction in the House of Representatives, has observed that the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) is currently engaging in a discourse of political hypocrisy regarding the controversy surrounding the increase in the Value Added Tax (VAT) to 12%. The Deputy Chairman of Commission XIII stated that one way to assess a political party's commitment to advocating for the people's interests is through its consistency in aligning its thoughts and actions. He emphasized that such seriousness requires consistency, which is closely linked to political morality. Furthermore, he noted that political morality should not allow for any divergence between words and actions.  

"This situation is particularly relevant for evaluating the inconsistent stance of the PDIP, which presents itself as a champion in the orchestration of criticism against the 12% VAT increase, a consequence of Law Number 7 of 2021 concerning the Harmonization of Tax Regulations (HPP)," Sugianto remarked in a written statement on Sunday, December 22, 2024.  

He further pointed out that a thorough review of the session minutes reveals that the PDIP faction in the House was the primary initiator of the HPP Law, with Dolfie Othniel Frederic Palit leading the working committee for the HPP Bill. Dolfie Othniel, a member of the PDIP faction and the Deputy Chairman of Commission XI, is responsible for finance, national development planning, monetary policy, and the financial services sector. "This indicates that from the outset, the PDIP faction in the House of Representatives was very serious about passing the HPP Bill into law. Additionally, the PDIP is the winning party with the most seats in the House, holding 128 out of 577 total members," he stated. Sugianto also revealed that the Speaker of the House for the 2019-2024 term, Puan Maharani, and the President of Indonesia for the same term, Joko Widodo, were both members of the PDIP at that time. 

Tag: Gerindra PDIP Sugianto Santoso Value Added Tax